Near Miss

“I spoke to Greco a while ago,” Stone said to Ed. “He said some people had a look at your property in Islesboro, then went away in a boat.”

“What, they didn’t torch it?”

“They knew that would make you mad,” Stone said, “and they didn’t want that.”

“What did you used to do, Ed?” Carly asked.

“Pretty much what I do now, but in a more structured environment.”

“And where was that environment?”

“Pretty much all over Europe and Scandinavia,” Ed said. “Then I did a little stretch at the Atlanta federal prison.”

“What for?”

“For doing my work a little too well.”

“Tell her the truth, Ed,” Stone said.

“Okay, the Russkies set me up in a badger game, then blackmailed me into pretending to give them classified information. I had a hard time selling that to my betters, so they yanked me off the street and sent me inside.”

“Better let it go there, Carly,” Stone said. “You don’t want to know more.”

“I always want to know everything,” she said.

“That’s a character flaw you’re going to have to adjust.”

“Funny, I never thought of curiosity as a character flaw.”

“It is, in some circumstances.”

“Okay, I’ll drop it, for the time being.”

Later, Stone had time for a lecture. “Let me explain something to you,” he said to Carly.

“Good. I like explanations; then I can tell who’s lying.”

“Ed Rawls has spent his life in secrecy. He was a spy, after all, and an important one.”

“Has Ed done something he’s ashamed of?”

“We all have,” Stone said.

“Not I.”

“There will come a time, believe me, and you won’t enjoy reliving that time in your life. Ed has spent a good portion of his life killing people, and he is proud that he did it well, but ashamed that he did it at all. When you grill him, it causes him pain.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“Try and restrain yourself. If you think you might cause him pain, ask me first.”

“I can do that, I guess.”

“I hope to God you can.”

Chapter 57

Stone went down to breakfast the following morning because he wanted to be out of the bedroom before Carly woke and made further demands. Ed Rawls was already at the table.

Stone sat down. “Tell me about this Sergeant guy, Ed. He seems to cause you to become skittish. Why is that?”

“Sarge is an old Marine who got drummed out of the Corps for being too much himself.”

“And what was he that frightened people when he was himself?”

“He was a homicidal maniac who enjoyed killing people. In fact, he almost killed his commanding officer, a man a lot of people would have enjoyed killing, but Sarge didn’t mind telling people about how he had tried to eviscerate the man.”

“I suppose that would cause a certain hesitancy in those who surrounded him.”

“You could say that.”

“Have you had dealings with him?”

“Not yet,” Rawls replied, “and I’d like it to stay that way.”

“Just how good an assassin is he?”

“As good as I am, I hear,” Rawls replied. “But whereas I take satisfaction in doing my work well, Sarge apparently invests his job with a certain glee that is absent from mine. And frankly, that scares the living shit out of me. Which is why I try to be where he ain’t.”

“That seems to be working.”

“Yes, but I can’t tell for how long. I wasn’t even sure that he was aware of my existence until I began hearing from friends who were hearing from their friends. Apparently, I’m no longer a casual target, but an assignment.”

“And who is the assignee?”

“Those Russians who are supposed to be at Peter’s beck and call, but who really want him not to exist. Not to mention me, who acted as his guardian.”

“And me?”

“I don’t know if he is even interested in you, but if I were you, I would behave as if he is. The Russians are not particularly fond of you.”

“Greco is.”

“Every rule has an exception. But it is a small one, in this case, and I wouldn’t count on it saving you.”

“How long do you think it would take Sarge to lose interest in us?”

“I wouldn’t count on that, either.”

“Then how do I stop him?”

“Kill him before he kills you.”

“How?”

“Take your pick of weapons, and never be without one.”

“Have you thought of going after him, Ed?”

“I’ve dreamed about it,” Rawls replied. “I’ll let you know when I come up with a plan.”

“Please do.”

Rawls sighed. “The plan may have to include using you for bait.”

“If it does,” Stone said, “I’d appreciate it if you try not to miss.”

Stone saw Rawls off, then returned to the breakfast table for coffee. Carly was waiting for him.

“I had hoped for another round before breakfast,” she said.

“I wanted to see Ed Rawls off and seek some advice from him.”

“What advice?”

“How to thwart this guy, Sarge, and keep him from killing me.”

“How?”

“By killing him first.”

“How can I help?”

“Go armed and shoot first.”

“You mean, seriously?”

“You should take him seriously, though I have no reason to think he knows you exist.”

“So I should run from somebody who isn’t chasing me?”

“Sort of like that. I do think you should stay away from me, until this thing is resolved.”

“You want me to stay away from you?”

“No, no, that’s certainly not what I want. It’s just that I don’t want to contribute to making your existence worse.”

“You think I have a bad existence?”